Breakwater wall construction



Feb. 23, J. P. BALL BREAKWATER WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Apri-1 23, 1931 IN1/@afar Patented Feb. 23, 1932 JOHN r. BALL, or CHICAGO, ILLrNors Y BREAKWATER WAILL CONSTRUCTION .Application iled April 23,

My invention relates to marinewalls, for shore protection, ofconstruction and design or shape approaching the `cycloidal curve defined by the on-coming water wave and therefore a wall adapted, as it were, to trip the wave and permit it'to ride upward yupon the wall instead of impacting itself against the wall and thus subjecting the wall to its destructive force and strain. Y i

The force of impact of a wave `(whether it be a tidal or a wind wave) depends'on the nature and shape of the wall which the wave strikes; and as waves, in transverse section, assume cycloid curves, I have devised a wall of such arcuate formation approximating the cycloidal movement of the waves that the'latter are permitted to ride upward onto the wall and their destructive action or force dissipated by reason of the engagement with the lower side of the orbit or'plane of move.

ment of the on-coming wave. i i

Another object of my invention is to provide a wall which may be easily constructed without need for the constructionof an extensive and therefore expensive base 'orfoundation beneath the mean water level as has heretofore generally been the case.

` The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the accom"- panying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view lof a portion of my improved wall, brokenr away an'irregular manner tomore clearly-show the construction. V i

Figure 2 is a transverse Vsectional view of the wall taken substantially on the line 2-'2 of Figure 1.

In constructing my improved wall, the course of the wallA isffirst outlined by means of suitable pilingor guide-posts, indicated at 10, which` are driven into place at predeter- Vmineddistances apart and allowed to extend suiiiciently above the waterlevel to permit proper aligning of the wall.

Pipes 11, 11 are then laid on the bottom on opposite sides of the guide-posts and disposed inthe direction of the wallas shown.

These pipes, of predetermined ,length and diameterand of suiiicientthickness to withthe 'wallbasel vsuitable means 1931. Serial No. 532,200.

stand the weight and strains, are preferably ofthe welded spiral steel or corrugated construction as shown and are arranged with their ends in juxtaposition, namely end to end, throughout the length of the wall. Before placing the course or line of tubing or pipe in place, the pipe sections to be disposed on opposite sides of the row of guide-posts are suitably tied together, as for example by means of the metal bands 12, which, in turn, are secured to the ends of the tie rods `or steel cables 13, in order that the two lines of pipes may be held in proper position relative to each yother and to the row lof guide-posts to which the tie-rods 18 are suitably secured. 65 The tie-rods or cables 13 are made to encircle the guide-posts 10, as shown at 14:, so as to hold the pipes 11 in proper position. I prefer to employ a tie-rod or cable 13 for each guide-post in order that the pipes 11 may be 70 securely held throughout their lengths.

- The lower course of pipes 11 are laterally spaced apart in keeping with the intended width of the base of the wall and therefore the tie-rods 13 arefof length'commensurate 75 with the intended transverse dimensions of The pipe sections, at the initial end of the wall and before being laid, are provided with suitable headers or stops at the initial ends and after being put i to position are then filled with concrete, as shown at 15, by any whereby the concrete will ow into the open ends of the pipe-sections.

The pipe-sections or their headers are providedwith temporary vents or openings for escape ofthe air and water as theconcrete 'is'being introduced and thus enable the pipe to be completelylilled with concrete. These vents may then be removed or closed.

The various pipe-sections are preferably filled one at atime and in order that the respective pipe-sections may be tied together, each succeeding section is filled with concreteto a point slightly removed from the 95 end adjacent to the next succeeding pipe-section so as to permit the concrete to fill said end while it is being introduced into the next succeeding pipe-section. It is apparent that the various sections of a course or line of pipe will thus ultimately be completely filled with a continuous lot of concrete.

After the first or bottom course of pipe has been put into place at the bottom of the water, the space between the parallelly arranged, spaced apart pipe 11, is then filled with rubble or quarry-run stone, as shown at 16. The second course of pipe 17, of construction similar to the pipe 11, is then arranged on top of the first course or line of pipe; the pipe-sections 17 being alsoheld in position by the tie-rods or cables 13 as previously described.

As my improved wall is intended to be of the arcuate formation shown, the tierods or cables 13 of the second course or line of pipe are of shorter` length than the tie-rods or cables of the first course, so as to position the pipe-sections 17 on opposite sides ofA the guide-posts 10 somewhat closer'together as shown'.

This second course is then filled with concrete in the manner previously described; the second course or line of pipe 17 resting partially on the lirst course or line of pipe 11 and on the filling of rubble 16. The space between the pipe sections 17 on opposite sides of the guide-posts l0 is then also filled in with the rubble or-qnarry-run stone 16, up to the tops ofthe pipe-sections 17.

The third course or line of pipe 18 is then put into place onA opposite sides of the guideposts 10 after having provided the pipe secftions with tie-rods or cables 13 of length Wi somewhat shorter than those of the pipe lines 17, so as to position the pipe-sections V18 on opposite sides of the guide-posts 10 somewhat lcloser together as shown. YThese pipesections 18 are then filled with the concrete 1'5 as previously described and the space between the pipes on opposite sides of the posts 10 then iilled in with the rubble ory quarrylrunV stone 16; after which the next succeeding course of pipe 19 is put into place and held in position by tie-rods or cables 13 somewhat shorter than the cables of the preceding lines of pipe 18. The space between the last mentioned lines of pipe 19 is then likewise filled in with the Yrubble or quarry-run stone as shown. Y

A sutiicient number of courses or lines of pipe are employed so as to have the topmost course or line of pipe preferably disposed above the normal water-level.

The rubble or quarry-run stone is mounded up into the arcuate manner shown and the top of the rubble then preferably provided .with a plain concrete cap or covering 20, in

keeping with the rounded mound of rubble, extending from the pipe sections 19 on one side of the guide-posts 10 to the pipe sections 19 on the opposite side so as to completely -cover the rubble mound.

By forming the sides of the wall of continuously lengths of pipe of large diameter,

the mound of rubble is held in position against the action of the water; and with the courses of pipe tied to the snubbing or guideposts and the rubble arranged about the posts, the composite wall is firmly anchored in place.

My improved wall, aside from its serviceability and the principle involved, can be more easily constructed than breakwater walls as heretofore constructed, as it eliminates the construction of a costly coffer-dam foiI proving a concrete covering on the sides of the rubble mound; and also eliminates the use of expensive pre-cast hollow caissons subsequently floated into'position and then filled with stone or concrete. i

My improved arcuate wall of a curvature having a diameter preferablygreater than the depth of the water in which the wall is built, approximates the cycloidal wave formation; and contact with the lower or under side of the waves is made, providing a tripping effect on the waves which results in a dissipation of their force and allows the less forceful broken or interrupted waves to ride upward on the wall instead of pounding against and breaking over and on top of lthe wall.

What I claimy is 1. A breakwater wall construction adapted to be built' on the bed of a body'of water and consisting of elongated members arranged in superposed rows on opposite sides of the wall th the successive rows from bottom to top on opposite sides being arranged at a gradually diminishing distance apart, means whereby theV members on opposite sides are held against separating movement; a filling material between the rows of members on opposite sides of the wall, said filling material extending into -a plane above that of the topmost rows of members and arranged in an arcuate mound; and a covering for said mound of filling extending from side to side between the top rows of members.

2. A breakwater wall construction adapted to be built on the bed of a body of water, comprising continuous lines of pipe arranged in superposed rows on opposite sides of the wall with each successive row bottom to top being arranged a lesser lateral distance apart, said pipesbeing filled with concrete whereby aligned pipes are joined together; a filling of loose stone between the spaced' apart lines of pipe, said filling being mounded into an arcuate formation above the topmost rows of pipe; and a covering of concrete for saidarcuate mound of filling eX- tending from side to'side between the topmost rows of pipe. Y

3. A breakwater wall construction adapted to be built on the bed-of a body of water, comprising' continuous lines of pipe arranged in superposed relation on opposite sides of the wall with each successive line from bot'- on each side from tom to top arranged closer to the median line of the wall, the respective lines of pipe being illed with concrete so as to tie the pipes of each line together; tie means between the corresponding lines of pipe on opposite sides of the wall; a filling of stone between the spaced apart lines of pipe, said lling extending above the upper lines of pipe and mounded into arcuate formation; and a covering of concrete for the lling extending from side to side between the topmost lines of pipe, the wall in cross section defining a cycloid curve.

4. A brealrwater wall construction adapted to be built on the bed of a body of water and comprising a plurality of cylindrical members arranged in superposed rows on opposite sides of the wall with the corresponding rows arranged at gradually-lesser distances apart from the bottom toward the top of the wall to provide a plurality oconvex surfaces receding from bottom to top toward the lon-- gitudinal center of the wall, means for maintaining the opposite rows against outward movement, a mound of filling material be tween the rows of members, and an arcuate covering for said mound extending from side to side between the topmost rows of members and bounded by said members.

JOHN P. BALL. 

